South Africa–German Bilateral Research Chair in Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems for Food Security (SARChI SuReFoodS)
The University of Mpumalanga (UMP) is advancing its global research profile through the South Africa–German Bilateral Research Chair in Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems (SuReFoodS).
The Chair is embedded within the African-German Centre for Sustainable and Resilient Food Systems and Applied Agricultural and Food Data Science, known as UKUDLA (a Zulu word for “Food”). UKUDLA is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the NRF, and led by the University of Hohenheim, with African partners including the University of the Western Cape, University of Pretoria, and Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources. UMP serves as an associate partner.
As part of its mandate within UKUDLA, UMP secured the SuReFoodS Chair through the National Research Foundation under the South African Research Chairs Initiative (SARChI), which addresses critical skills shortages in Science, Engineering and Technology while advancing research excellence, socio-economic development, and sustainable livelihoods.
Led by Prof Lembe Magwaza, an NRF-rated plant scientist, this Tier 1 Chair positions UMP and the Mpumalanga Province as a living laboratory for transforming agrifood systems in response to climate change, resource constraints, and growing food demand. The programme integrates regenerative agriculture, plant physiology, postharvest science, and digital agriculture within a systems-based, data-driven framework.
Established in 2026, the Chair operates across the Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal provinces, providing real-world platforms to improve productivity, reduce postharvest losses, and strengthen climate resilience across food value chains. Situated within South Africa’s major tropical and subtropical production regions, the programme is strategically positioned near key citrus, avocado, macadamia, mango, litchi, and sugar production zones, as well as the newly established Mpumalanga International Fresh Produce Market.
Strong stakeholder integration underpins the Chair’s activities, including collaboration with the Agricultural Research Council, smallholder and commercial farmers, government structures, policymakers, and commodity organisations such as the South African Avocado Growers’ Association, Citrus Growers’ Association, Macadamias South Africa, South African Mango Growers’ Association, South African Litchi Growers’ Association, and South African Sugar Association, among others.
Through these partnerships, the Chair bridges research, industry, and policy to drive innovation, technology adoption, and inclusive participation across agrifood value chains. SARChI SuReFoodS stands as a flagship initiative advancing sustainable and resilient food systems from Mpumalanga to the global stage.